Angel Eyes
by a novelist
Summary: Co-written with abbyli. Beck and Tori are married, and things couldn't be better. However, when Tori finds out a long-kept secret, their lives are suddenly completely changed. Can their love survive?
1. Chapter 1

Hello, everyone! So, this story is actually written by the amazing abbyli and myself. The first chapter is written by me, the second will be written by her, and so on. Hope you all enjoy!

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><p><em>Tori awoke in a cold, dimly lit room. The foul smell of cafeteria food and overwhelming scent of sterilizer filled the room. Beside her, a familiar, frail figure lay motionless as he slept. The soft sound of the heart monitor was the only other sound in the room.<em>

_She carefully pushed herself up to a sitting position before beginning to reach out toward her husband. _

_Closer…closer…finally, her fingers gently entwined with his. So warm, so comforting. _

_But something was wrong. He was fading – literally fading – before her very eyes. His wonderful hands and his strong arms evaporated into the air, turning into pure nothingness. Startled, she stood and stepped away from the bed._

_Dark, beautiful eyes full of terror met her own. He opened his mouth to speak, but no noise escaped._

_Do something! her mind screamed. You have to save him!_

_But it was too late. He was gone, lost forever, and the only thing she seemed to remember were his eyes._

_She collapsed over the bed, sobbing and screaming, as the monitor beside the bed continued its steady rhythm. _

"No!" she screamed. Gasping for breath, she quickly sat up in bed. Her heart was pounding as her eyes scanned the room. Light brown walls and soft white sheets surrounded her. Beside her, the alarm clock's piercing sound filled the air. She sighed heavily. "Thank God," she murmured.

Suddenly, Beck's arm snaked over her and his hand pounded down on the alarm, forcing it into a state of silence. He sighed as he sat up in bed. "It happened again, didn't it?" he murmured. As she nodded, he asked, "Are you alright?"

She nodded again. "I'm fine," she whispered.

"That's the fourth nightmare you've had this week, and it's only Wednesday." He gently placed one arm around her waist and caressed her cheek with his other. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head. "I'm fine," she assured him. She kissed him lightly before pushing back the sheets and crawling out of bed. "You can go back to sleep, babe. It's only four, and I know how tired you've been lately."

"Fine." Beck buried himself beneath the sheets and closed his eyes. "I don't see why you have to be at the hospital so early."

Tori shuffled through her clothes before removing her scrubs from their hanger. She picked up her sneakers and closed the closet door.

"I had to switch shifts with Gabby." Tori shrugged. "She had some family emergency." She slipped her shoes on before giving Beck a quick kiss goodbye. "I'll see you tomorrow morning, alright?"

"Alright. Love you. Drive safe."

"Love you, too, and I will. Goodbye."

* * *

><p>"Alright, listen up. We've got a lot to get through, and a short amount of time to do it." Austin Thompson, director of the upcoming movie <em>Watching You<em>, sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he glanced anxiously at the clock. "Where is Beck? He was supposed to be here an hour ago," he grumbled.

As if on cue, the door burst open and Beck stumbled in. "I'm so sorry," he said. "I got held up at the – "

"Never mind, never mind," Austin growled. "Just get into hair and makeup _now_. Julia's waiting for you." Beck nodded wordlessly and disappeared down the hall. Austin returned his eyes to his clipboard. "As for the rest of you, first positions, please!"

Beck's makeup artist was waiting for him when he pushed open his dressing room door.

"Beck, darling, I was wondering when you'd show. Sit, sit. We've got to hurry."

Beck slid into the chair and smiled. "Sorry, it took a little longer than expected today. Hopefully Austin understands."

"I'm sure he does," she replied. "Or at least, he will once he gets off of his rampage. He's been in a mood all morning." She smiled. "Lean back." As she began to fuss with his hair, she asked, "So the wife doesn't know yet, I'm assuming?"

Beck scoffed. "No. She has enough to worry about at work."

Julia rolled her eyes. "She's going to find out, ya know. This isn't something you can hide forever."

Beck squirmed uncomfortably in his chair. "I know," he muttered. He sighed and glanced at his watch. "How much longer?"

"Almost done."

He nodded and closed his eyes. "Good."

* * *

><p>"What are your symptoms?"<p>

On a firm bed in a small, white room, a tiny girl of four sat swinging her legs back and forth, back and forth. Large brown eyes met Tori's as the girl smiled up at her.

On the other side of the room, the mother cleared her throat. "She's had a dangerously high temp the past few days, and her throat is quite red and sore."

"Well, let's take a look." Tori removed the thermometer from its case. "Say _aah…"_

After she finished her general checkup, Tori made several notes before smiling at the girl and her mother. "Well, you have a small temp now." She capped her pen. "I'll just get these documents to the doctor and he'll be in soon."

She left the room and placed the documents in the slot just outside the door. She started down the hall toward the next room, but stopped short as a voice called out, "Ms. Oliver?"

She paused. "Yes?"

The secretary held up and waved a small sheet of paper. "You've got a message."

Tori rolled her eyes and walked toward the nurse's station. She snatched up the note. Her fairly sour mood faded as she read it.

_Thinking of you. Call me on your break – will meet for lunch._

_Beck_

Tori smiled softly, tucking the note away in her pocket. She picked up her clipboard and walked down the hall, stopping just outside a closed door. She knocked once and opened the door, only to be greeted by a screaming, crying child. She winced at the shrill sound.

She fingered the note in her pocket and snuck a glance at the clock.

Two hours to go.

* * *

><p>"Alright, everyone, that's a wrap for now. Be back here by one o'clock sharp." Austin eyed Beck carefully. "No excuses." He turned on his heels and marched up to the producer. "Sam, we need to talk – <em>now.<em>"

Beck ignored the director's comment and instead made his way to his dressing room. He slammed the door shut behind him before glancing at his phone. New text message.

_Meet me at the cafeteria at noon. Miss you, love you._

_Tori_

He smiled and texted a reply. He had just sent the message when a conversation from only hours before flashed through his mind.

"_She's going to find out. This isn't something you can hide forever."_

He slowly closed his eyes, silently cursing how right those words were.

He changed into a smooth, button down shirt, jeans, and boots. He picked up his keys, crammed his cell phone into his pocket, and finally turned off the dressing room light before rushing out to his truck.

Anxiously, he scowled down at his watch. He was going to be late.

Perfect.

He crawled into his truck and turned the key in the ignition, silently praying Tori would still be waiting.

* * *

><p>He rushed through the cafeteria doors with five minutes to spare.<p>

Immediately, his eyes scanned the crowd of patients and visitors seated at long, rectangular tables. Beck raked his fingers through his dark hair as he searched for his wife. Then, he saw her.

She was sitting at a secluded table near one of several tall, tinted windows. Her head was ducked low over her food as she sat quietly, waiting.

Beck started toward the table. He slid into the seat across from her, plastering a bright – and hopefully convincing – smile on his face.

"Hey, babe."

She looked up from her picked-over meal. She managed a tired smile. "You're here. Great." She leaned forward and kissed him gently. "You have no idea how glad I am to see you."

"Rough day?"

Tori rolled her eyes and stabbed at her salad. "You have no idea." She sighed heavily and looked up at him. "How was rehearsal?"

Beck shrugged. "Fine, although that can change. I'm supposed to be back no later than one."

Tori smiled softly. "That's one thing I _don't_ miss about show business – the directors." She shook her head slowly. "Some of them are decent, but others…"

Beck's smile widened. "I know what you mean."

Tori took to picking idly at her food. Beck looked down at his hands.

_She's going to find out. _

He took a deep breath. He reached out and gently took Tori's free hand. Then, gathering his courage, he said, "Tori?"

She looked up. "Hm?"

He met her eyes evenly. "There's something I need to tell you."

She set down her fork and pushed aside her food. "I need to tell you something, also," she said. "I just found out today, and it's – it's just driving me crazy keeping the news bottled up."

Beck sat back. "You first."

Tori sighed. She bit her lip thoughtfully before finally blurting, "I'm pregnant."


	2. Chapter 2

"Beck? Beck, honey, are you all right?"

Tori's voice seemed very far away to him, lost in a fog. He shook his head and let out a loud huff of breath.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine," he stammered. "Baby, are you sure?"

Tori nodded. "Yeah. That's why I've been acting so strange," she lied. "I've been trying really hard to absorb this. I'm going to have to cut back on my hours at the hospital, but..." her voice trailed off at the look on Beck's face. "Beck?"

As Tori had been talking, Beck's face had dropped lower and lower. Thoughts of what he had been about to tell his wife were waving across his mind. He sure as hell couldn't tell her now.

"Beck?" Tori's voice broke through the haze, bringing him back down to Earth. "Beck, are you happy about it?" she whispered, starting to feel terrified at what Beck could possibly be thinking.

Beck managed to get his rapidly beating heart to slow down a bit before he forced a smile on his face.

"I'm the happiest man in the world," he whispered.

~~~ooo~~~

They spent the rest of their lunch talking about the baby and also about their work. Tori hadn't believed Beck's "mood" for a second when she had told him the news. He looked tired and overworked and a little haggard. She wasn't sure if it was the nurse in her or what, but her worry for her husband was increasing by every second.

Not long after, Beck's phone began to ring. Austin was on the other end barking at him to get back to the set before he fired him and cast another actor.

"He's threatened to do that to me every single day," Beck said with a small grin on his face as he stood up from the lunch table.

"Well, if he really gets whiney, blame it on me," Tori said worriedly, not wanting to get her husband into trouble.

Beck laughed. "I'll be fine. Quit being such a mother."

"I need some practice for this little one so you're all I've got," Tori smiled. She leaned across the table and Beck met her in the middle, giving her a gentle kiss on the lips.

"Thank you for waiting for me. I'm sorry I was late."

"Oh, shut up. I'm used to it," she whispered, kissing him again.

Beck departed moments later, both of them exchanging promises to be home for dinner. Tori remained at her table, picking at the remains of her food, thinking about what was next for them.

_Beep-beep, beep-beep_

Her pager's shrill beeps made her head ache. She glanced at her pager and saw that it was a 911 to the ER. She quickly tied her hair back into a ponytail and made her way downstairs to the Emergency Room.

"I was paged?" she asked the nearest doctor to her as she jumped off the last step and onto the main floor.

"You're needed in Trauma One. Dr. Watson," said the doctor.

"Thanks," she said, jogging down the tiny hallway and into the Trauma room. "Dr. Watson?" The sight of a little boy laying on a gurney, blue from head to toe, greeted her.

"Yeah, Tori, I need you to do the intubation," said the balding doctor as he hovered over the little boy.

"What the hell happened?" asked Tori as she slipped on a gown over her scrubs.

"Fell in a lake and got caught in some brush," Watson quickly explained. "Gotta get him intubated so I can do a thorecotomy."

"Good Lord," Tori whispered. She yanked some gloves on over her hands and picked up the tube from the tray by the boy's head.

For the next 20 minutes, they worked on getting the boy's pulse going. Tori's eyes kept rising to the doors to the Trauma room. Two young people stood there; she could guess they were the boy's parents. The mother was in tears while the father held her up, both of them trying to remain strong but sadly failing.

"Time of death- 2:05 pm."

Watson looked at Tori and the other nurses. His eyes became wrinkled with worry at the look on Tori's face.

"Tori, are you all right?" he asked.

"Yeah. Um, who's going to talk to the parents?" she asked.

"I'll do it," said Watson. "Do you want to come?"

Tori shook her head. "No, no. Sorry. No. I'm sorry!" Tears blurred her eyes as she pulled her gloves and gown off and fled the trauma room.

~~~ooo~~~

"Tori?"

Tori let out a loud sigh, lifting her eyes to see a nurse named Teesha standing in the doorway of the bathroom, concern in her eyes.

"Hi, Teesh," Tori whispered, quickly turning on the water and splashing her face with the cool liquid.

"Tori, what the hell happened to you in there? You can usually handle dying kids," said Teesha.

Tori blinked at her bluntness. "I'm sorry. I wasn't on my game today," she said.

Teesha sighed quietly. "Tori, you are one of my best girls. I know I sound like a witch but I can't have you falling apart just because you're having a baby, okay? Get your act together or take some time off."

"I totally understand. I'm sorry, it won't ever happen again," she apologized.

"All right. Now dropping the whole 'head nurse' thing. How'd Beck take the news?" Teesha asked, getting immediately nosy.

Tori laughed and swallowed noisily. "Um, Beck's been going through a lot of the same crap I am. He's tired and overworked so he didn't get too excited about it."

"You're kidding," Teesha gaped.

Tori shook her head. "It's a lot to absorb, Teesh. We're both barely 25. We're still kids ourselves."

"I was 22 when I had Benjamin. And I was 26 when I had Kate. Porter and I were both terrified when we found out Ben was on the way, but we got over it as soon as the doctor placed Ben in my arms. Tor, it'll get better for the both of you. I promise it will," Teesha said comfortingly.

Tori shrugged slightly, lightly placing a hand on top of her belly. "I just don't know."

~~~ooo~~~

"Oliver! I thought you knew this script cold! What's the matter with you?"

Beck jumped at the sound of Austin's voice and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I've got a lot on my mind."

"That is the fifth time you have flubbed the line. We don't have a very big budget so we have got to get this right the first time around. Now get with it!" Austin snarled, quickly placing his headphones back on top of his head and focusing his eyes back on the screen in front of him.

"Are you all right?" asked Rebecca, one of his co-stars, asked gently. She leaned in, her voice barely a whisper.

Beck smiled at the older woman. "Yeah, thanks."

"You don't look all right, dearie. You should get some rest or some castor oil," Rebecca said sweetly, the heir of a mother hen coming through.

Beck smirked into his chest and retook his position as Austin shrieked at them to take their places.

_Maybe this won't be so bad after all. _

~~~ooo~~~

A/N: All right, so I left it like that, a little open-ended for you to make your own decisions. Leave a novelist and I your thoughts on what you think is going on.


	3. Chapter 3

I'm really sorry it took so long to update. Between writer's block and finals week, it's been hectic. Thanks goes to my friend abbyli for helping me get the chapter done. :)

Enjoy!

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><p>Beck walked into a very familiar room two afternoons later. He took a seat in an oddly soft, unusually comfortably chair. Tiredly, he leaned back and closed his eyes, letting thoughts of recent events and the sudden pregnancy run through his mind.<p>

Pregnant. He couldn't believe that he was going to be a father soon. Everything seemed so surreal, and the timing…it couldn't be worse.

He was so lost in thought that he did not notice when the door quietly swung open and a kindly nurse walked in. She smiled. "Good afternoon."

His eyes opened quickly as he looked at her. He would have returned the smile with one of his own, but the woman's eyes were adverted downward as she examined a chart in her hands.

"Your potassium levels are high," the nurse noted. She glanced up from her clipboard. "What have you had to eat today?"

He rolled his eyes. "It's probably the hash browns," he muttered. "My wife made breakfast this morning and she isn't aware of my diet."

She sighed and set the clipboard on the countertop. She nodded toward the empty chair. "We're going to try it today because your levels aren't _dangerously_ high, but next time, you need to watch what you eat. High potassium can lead to serious heart problems in this situation."

He nodded. "I understand," he said. He leaned back in his chair and exhaled deeply. "Let's just get this over with."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and another nurse poked her head in the door. "Hey, Samantha? We're having difficulty in ICU 2…" she trailed off as her eyes met Beck's. Her jaw dropped open. "No way."

A look of confusion crossed Beck's face as he asked, "I'm sorry, but do I know you?"

The woman smirked and stepped into the room. "You don't know me, but I know your wife," she answered. "I'm Teesha Hunt. Tori and I often are assigned the same area, so we talk quite a bit." She looked him up and down. "I must say, she failed to ever mention _this_ to me."

"Because she doesn't know," he answered sharply. His gaze hardened. "And she _isn't_ going to know until the time is right."

Teesha narrowed her hazel eyes and placed her hands on her hips firmly. "When you're half-dead in a hospital bed and she's left with an infant to take care of?"

"_Teesha_." The other nurse gave her a warning glare. "That's enough." She removed her latex gloves and discarded them in the trashcan. "Now, what trouble are they having? That's a little more important right now."

"There's a little boy refusing to let the nurses put in an IV. He's kicking and screaming and…you get the point. We need some help."

"I'll be right there." Teesha shot a clear glare in Beck's direction before leaving the room. The other nurse turned to Beck. "I'll be back to check on you shortly," she promised.

He simply nodded in response before closing his eyes again, letting himself get lost in different world – a dream world – where all was well and no secrets were bred.

He tried his best to avoid the image of a widowed wife and her child staring back at him with longing eyes, but wasn't quite able to shake the feeling that something was about to go terribly wrong.

Only time would tell.

* * *

><p>At nearly eight o'clock the night of their anniversary, Tori found herself alone in one of the most elegant restaurants in Los Angeles. Around her, glassware chimed softly, silverware clattered quietly against glass plates, and couples spoke in hushed tones at surrounding tables. A short, stout candle was enclosed in glass and provided soft lighting at each table. Nearby, a quartet of violinists played softly.<p>

And she had no one to share the experience with.

Anxiously, she glanced at the clock once again. He was nearly an hour late. She dug in her purse for her cell phone. Her fingers had just closed over the small phone when suddenly, the waiter approached her table.

"Can I get you anything, Miss?"

She looked up at the man dressed in white. She forced a sweet smile. "No. No, thank you." She glanced down at her phone and sighed. "In fact, I was just leaving." She let the phone drop back into her purse and removed her billfold. "I'd like the check, please."

After paying the bill she gathered her purse and pulled out her keys. She paused for a moment longer, half-expecting Beck to walk through the door at any moment.

But to her disappointment, he never did.

* * *

><p>"I think he's cheating on me."<p>

Sitting in a hard-backed chair in the nurse's station, Tori stared absently down at her hands as she spoke the words.

Teesha rolled her eyes and turned to Tori. "You don't mean that."

"Yeah, I do." Tori pushed herself to her feet and followed Teesha down the hall. "He missed dinner last night. It was our anniversary."

Teesha shrugged. "So he forgot. Isn't that the typical guy?" She pushed open the door to the nurse's break room. "It's just the hormones talking, I'm sure."

Tori sighed. "When he got home, he reeked of women's perfume."

"That doesn't mean anything."

Tori glared but did not comment. Instead, she said, "I don't know. I just have this feeling that something's up." Her fingers clenched around the drawer handle. She opened it and rummaged though it for a pack of Band-Aids. "I just don't know what."

Teesha bit her lip thoughtfully. She sighed, silently cursing her friend's husband and the burden she was now forced to carry. She offered what she hoped was a reassuring smile to Tori. "Just calm down, and over time, things will get straightened out." Tori turned and met her friend's eyes in uncertainty. Teesha's smile widened. "Trust me."

* * *

><p>She completely ignored her coworker's advice.<p>

When Beck returned home later that evening, Tori was waiting for him – and she didn't appear to be very happy.

She was sitting in the dark at the kitchen table nursing a steaming cup of hot cocoa. She looked up as the front door shut quietly and the sound of footsteps filled the apartment. A moment later, Beck was standing in the doorway. "Hey," he said. He reached for the light switch. "Why are you sitting in the dark?"

She shrugged. "I just felt like it," she answered vaguely.

Beck dropped his keys on the table and took a seat across from her. "How's it going?"

Tori shook her head. "Honestly, not well." She looked up at him for the first time and sighed. "Why are you so late getting home?"

He rolled his eyes. "Austin kept us late tonight." He gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "Sorry."

Tori frowned. "You left work hours ago," she whispered.

Beck's face went white and his eyes widened. "Wh – no, I didn't. I just got out half an hour ago."

"I called looking for you, Beck. Your director let you out early after one of the extras got hurt." She looked him in the eyes. "Where were you?"

For a moment, panic seemed to fill his eyes. However, that panic soon turned to anger. "Just what are you suggesting?" he asked.

She stood, narrowing her eyes and crossing her arms across her chest. "You're coming home later and later every night, you're lying about where you are, and that smell – you smell like – like perfume. Where were you?"

"I went out, alright?" He pushed himself to his feet. "Since when do you have to know where I am, what I'm doing, and when I'm doing it?"

She glared. "I can't deal with this right now," she muttered. She stormed out of the room and started for the front door. She slipped on her shoes and snatched the keys off of the hook by the door. She yanked open the front door.

"Tori." Beck strode toward her. "Where are you going? Come on, we can talk about this."

"There's obviously nothing to talk about." She left the apartment, slamming the door shut behind her.

Beck sighed heavily and started to follow her.

But his knees were too weak, and suddenly he felt dizzy. The world was spinning around him, faster and faster. He took one step only to collapse in a heap on the floor, just a few feet away from the door.

His head pounded with pain from the rough impact of the firm floor. But he could not stand and he could not cry out. Instead, he could only close his eyes, giving in to the painless bliss of darkness.


	4. Chapter 4

The darkness felt so comforting. So gentle.

But wait! It was lifting. No!

Beck grunted as the last of the unconsciousness left him. He held his head and slowly lifted himself up off of the floor.

"Aw, crap..." he moaned, realizing what had happened.

Beck managed to heave himself to his feet with the help of the nearest chair. He almost climbed up it in such an effort that sweat was pouring down his forehead. His stomach was quaking and he felt ready to vomit up whatever he had eaten today, no matter how little the amount was.

His vision was blurry, almost like he was looking through an ice cube. He slowly staggered across the room, the furniture helping him out greatly as he tried to get to his cell phone which was laying on the coffee table.

Once he reached it, it felt so damn slippery in his hands. He kept trying to dial Tori's number but the buttons just didn't want to cooperate with his shaking fingers. That's when he made the decision to dial another number.

"911, what's your emergency?"

~~~ooo~~~

Still fuming, Tori stamped around the grocery store, throwing whatever she saw into the cart. She could see a two hundred dollar bill forming right before her very eyes.

"Damn him!" she muttered, steering herself towards check out before she bought the whole store.

As she was paying the bill, she felt her pager go off in her purse. She pulled it out and looked at it, recognizing the familiar number of the hospital.

"Darn it," she whispered.

"Something wrong, ma'am?" asked the cashier.

"What?" Tori snapped. Quickly realizing what she had done, she lowered her head in embarrassment. "Just a bunch of personal problems. Sorry about snapping at you."

"It's all right. I get a lot of grumpy people coming through here," said the cashier, giving her an understanding smile.

Tori signed the credit slip that was laid in front of her and handed it back to the cashier. "Well, I gotta go to work. That was the hospital paging me. Thank you."

"You're welcome. And try to have a better night," the cashier bid her.

"I most definitely will."

Famous last words.

~~~ooo~~~

She drove the speed limit getting to the hospital. She dragged all of her perishable groceries into the break room and stuffed them into the fridge, sticking a note on the door that said, "Touch Tori Oliver's stuff and you die a very painful death."

"Whoa, you're cranky."

"Huh?" Tori grimaced, pulling her scrub top over her head.

"Something wrong?" asked Teesha, handing Tori the clipboard with the information of the most recent patients.

"I confronted Beck and walked out," Tori said, glancing at the clipboard.

"What?"

"He, of course, denied having an affair, the big snot rag. He said he was overworked and that's why he wasn't getting home on time."

"That could be the truth, Tori," said Teesha. "By the way, does he even know you're here?"

"I should call him, shouldn't I?" Tori said thoughtfully. "Or should I just do to him exactly what he did to me?"

Teesha rolled her eyes. "You know that's not fair, Tor."

"I don't give a damn. All I want to do is work," Tori said defiantly, pushing past Teesha and into the exam room, where their first patient was waiting.

~~~ooo~~~

"Whoo! Four sick kids in under two hours. All with the flu. What next?"

"Sick and pissy men," said Haley Morgan, handing Tori another clipboard. "Harry Joe, needs an enema and you are just the right girl for the job."

"Harry Joe? Oh, come on! I did that last time! It's Jackie's turn!" Tori protested, trying to push the clipboard back at the LPN.

"Nope. Actually, Jackie cleaned him up last time, Teesha the time before that, and me the time before that. It's now your turn, my dear girl."

"I am the RN here, missy. And I order you to do it," said Tori, her fire coming back and starting to make her feel a little better.

"I may be the LPN, honey pie, but I am also old enough to be your mother. And I have been here for ten years while you a measly two years. Now you get your skinny preggo butt in there!"

The entire group of nurses burst out laughing. Tori couldn't help but smile as she snatched the clipboard away from Haley and stomped into the examination room.

~~~ooo~~~

"Blech! Now I need a shower!" Tori cried as she walked out of the exam room and stripped off her gown and gloves.

"Go ahead and take one. We're dead in here and Dr. Finn is taking a nap," said Teesha, running her hands through her slightly grayed hair.

"Thanks," said Tori, starting to leave. "Page me if it gets busy again."

"Hey, Tori!"

Tori turned. "Yeah?"

"When is your first prenatal appointment?" asked Teesha.

A rush of shame ran through her. "Damn it, I haven't even scheduled one yet. I've been so busy here and with...everything else that I haven't thought about it."

The older woman grabbed her shoulders and turned her so they were nose to nose.

"Now you listen to me, Tori Oliver. I don't care if you are having problems in your marriage or what. You need to think about your health and the baby's health first, all right?" Teesha snapped, her grip on Tori's shoulders starting to get a little uncomfortable.

Tori wriggled out of her grasp and stood back. "All right, all right, _Mom._"

Teesha released her and crossed her arms, giving her the heaviest glare she could muster. Tori immediately withered underneath her gaze and gave in.

"Like I said, I will."

~~~ooo~~~

Despite it being in the nurses' shower, the hot water beating down on her sore back felt wonderful. Tori stood under the strong heat for several minutes, just letting the liquid ooze down her back and legs. She turned around and let the water cool a bit before letting it hit her stomach.

Her hands slipped over her slightly expanded belly, feeling the fluttering of butterflies inside. She was only a few months along, so the baby wasn't doing that much kicking yet. But it was moving around and demanding attention that she stupidly wasn't giving it.

Tears brimmed in her eyes and began to slip down her cheeks, mixing with the shower water.

"Oh, baby. I'm so sorry," she whispered, gently caressing her belly. "I am so, so sorry. Momma loves you so much."

Another pick up of butterflies ran through her stomach, giving Tori her answer. She smiled and kissed her fingertips, planting the kiss on her belly.

"Thank you."

~~~ooo~~~

"Uh-huh. Okay. All right, thanks for letting me know. I will send her right up."

"Send who right up?" Tori asked Teesha as she hung up the phone at the front desk.

"That was nephrology, Tori," said Teesha. "Dr. Caskill wants to see you right away."

"What in the world for?" Tori said, totally bewildered.

The older woman shrugged her shoulders. "He didn't say. He just said for you to come up as soon as you could."

Tori glanced at her watch. It was nearing six am and the morning sickness was going to be hitting quite soon. The general medicine floor was still dead and no cases from the ER had been sent up. She was ready to go home and crawl into bed, eager to avoid another fight with Beck and just get some sleep before she had to be here at ten the next morning.

"Okay, I'm heading up. I'm going to talk to Doc Caskill and then I'm going home. Is that all right?" said Tori as she grabbed her sweater off of the chair and slipped it over her shoulders.

"That's fine. And you don't have to come in at ten. You can come in at noon because of being called in, all right?"

"'Kay. Night, Teesh."

"Night, honey. Get some rest."

~~~ooo~~~

Tori got off the elevator to be greeted by the ugly and sterile floor of Nephrology and Oncology. It was eerily silent and kind of spooky. During nursing school, she had been eager to avoid this floor because too many people died here. That's why she went into General Medicine.

"Uh, excuse me? Dr. Caskill paged me?" Tori said to the dozing receptionist.

"Oh, yeah. He's down in the dialysis room. End of the hall," said the sleepy secretary.

"Thanks."

Tori continued to walk down the hallway and found the room with the door labeled DIALYSIS. She slowly pushed the door open and stepped inside. She could hear the familiar bells and whistles of the machines and could guess that at least three were working. During her schooling, she had seen many patients come here really early in the morning before they had to go to work and such.

She looked down the long line of dialysis machines. There was an older woman, maybe sixty five, about five feet away from her on the first machine. She saw another two people, a man and a woman about thirty to forty years old, on two center ones. And then she could see another man down on the last one, his head leaned back on a pillow like he was sleeping. Probably was.

Tori turned around, her eyes searching the morning light for the doctor that she did not see. A wave of annoyance ran through her. Where was that dumb doctor?

"Tori?"

She jumped about a foot in the air at the sound of the croaky, quavering, _very _familiar voice.

Tori slowly made her way down the line of machines, getting closer to the man at the end. As she neared him, she could make out his features better. Shaggy black hair...olive skin that was starting to take on a papery look...

The most beautiful pair of dark brown eyes she had ever seen in her entire life.

"Oh, no...Beck?"

~~~ooo~~~

Heehee! Cliffhanger!


	5. Chapter 5

Hello, everyone. So, I'm really sorry it took so long to update this story. School got hectic, to say the least, and I just couldn't work on my writing then. But, at last, here's the next chapter of Angel Eyes. Thanks for your patience.

Enjoy!

* * *

><p>"Beck," Tori breathed. Very slowly, she made her way to his side. She stood beside him in mere disbelief. "What - what are you - when did - oh, my God, <em>no.<em>"

Pain-filled eyes met hers. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

She swallowed hard. Tears pooled in her eyes. "Is it serious? What has the doctor told you?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but seemed to struggle with the simple task. Instead, a man's deep voice behind them interrupted their conversation. "He has been diagnosed with cirrhosis, or basically end-stage liver failure."

Startled, Tori turned. She found herself looking into Dr. Caskill's baby blue eyes. "Cirrhosis?" she repeated. "So this - this has been going on for quite a while, then?"

Caskill nodded. "He has a fairly rare inherited condition known as hemochromatosis, which, as you already know, is when the body holds too much iron. This can eventually lead to severe medical problems, one being chronic liver failure."

She turned back to her husband. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, her voice trembling.

Beck shrugged slightly. "You have enough to worry about, with work, and the baby..."

"But you're _dying,_" she cried. Tears began to flow down her cheeks. "Don't you think that's something I should know about?"

He managed a small smile. "It seemed easier to let you assume I was cheating on you."

Despite everything, she laughed shortly. Gently, she reached out and caressed his cheek, brushing back a lock of dark hair. She wiped at her eyes before turning back to the doctor. "So, what happens now?"

Dr. Caskill sighed. "Dialysis has worked up until this point. However, it's unlikely that it will help him much longer. He'll eventually need a transplant."

Tori nodded. "So it's fairly treatable, right?"

Caskill's eyes turned sympathetic. "_If_ a donor can be found," he replied. "And even then, he'll be placed on a waiting list. It could be months to years before someone is found."

Tori sighed heavily, taking a moment to take this new information in. Her head was spinning.

This wasn't happening.

Caskill cleared his throat. "I'll give you some time alone." He quietly left the room.

Beside her, Beck reached out and gently took her hand. "Are you all right?"

She shook her head slowly. "You're dying," she whispered again, "and you're asking _me_ if _I'm_ okay?" She smirked. "Something's wrong with that little conversation."

Beck smiled. He moved over a little on the chair, then whispered, "Come here."

She took a seat beside him, and he wrapped his free arm around her, pulling her close. Her tear-filled eyes met his, and his heart ached a little at the sight. Gently, he kissed her. "Are you mad?"

She shook her head. "No," she whispered. "Just – scared. Really scared."

He reached up and caressed her cheek, wiping away the new set of tears that had begun to fall. "I'll be fine," he said. "I really will. Everything will be all right."

She sighed. "You can't say that for sure," she said. "I know you're just trying to make me feel better, and I thank you for that, but I've seen people go through this. I know the most common outcome, and I know how deadly this is." She shook her head and dropped her gaze. She laced her fingers through his. "I just – I can't imagine losing you."

He kissed her gently, then managed a weak smile. "Tori, I promise you, no matter what happens, no matter how this turns out, I will never, never leave you."

* * *

><p>Beck was released from the hospital a few days later. Tori took several days off as well to help him around the house.<p>

He spent most of their afternoon back vomiting. When he wasn't sick, he was sleeping, curled up on the cool tile floor in their bathroom, stuck in his own type of hell.

Tori stayed by his side the entire time, though she had to admit that it killed her a little inside each time she saw him. It broke her heart. However, almost immediately, her motherly instincts kicked in and she did everything she possibly could to help him. "Babe, you need to eat something," she said.

He shook his head slowly in response, his eyes still sealed shut in misery. "No," he mumbled.

Gently, she reached out and stroked his hair. It was damp with sweat from an ongoing fever. "Just a little fruit?" she suggested.

He groaned. "It's coming back up anyway, so what does it matter?"

She sighed. "We've got to take you back to the hospital," she said.

"_No_," he said again, his voice stronger now.

She rolled her eyes. "Okay, you're not two, so that can't be the only word you know." She stood and placed her hands firmly on her hips. "Either you eat something or we're taking you back to the hospital. Technically, you should have been there as soon as you started to get a fever. You can't keep up like this much longer."

He sighed. "I know."

She started for the door. "I'm going to get you some food. Do you need anything else while I'm out there?"

He shook his head in response. "Thanks, but no," he mumbled.

She nodded. "Be right back."

As the sound of her footsteps faded away down the hallway, Beck sighed heavily. He rolled over onto his side, then groaned miserably at the action. Nausea arose in the pit of his stomach, but fortunately, nothing else happened.

A few moments later, Tori returned with a couple oranges and a blanket. "Here," she said, kneeling on the floor beside him. She quickly peeled away the skin of one of the oranges before handing it to him. "Try to eat this and see if you feel better. And here." She unfolded the blanket and draped it over him. "Now. I have a doctor's appointment across town, but if you need me, I'll cancel."

Beck shook his head. "No. No, I'm fine. Thanks."

She kissed him lightly. "No problem. I love you. If you need anything – anything at all – let me know."

He nodded. "I will," he whispered, then closed his eyes. "Goodbye."

* * *

><p>Twenty minutes later, Tori was sitting on a bed covered with a thin layer of plastic. Clad in a hospital gown and now barefoot, she felt somewhat exposed and a bit uncomfortable. She fidgeted nervously as she waiting for the gynecologist.<p>

Suddenly, her cell phone beeped in her purse, announcing a new text message. She jumped at the sound, then sighed. Rolling her eyes, she began digging through her purse for her phone. She was still looking for it when someone knocked on the door.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Oliver," a chipper voice spoke up. A middle-aged woman with graying hair, wrinkling skin, and a charming smile walked into the room, quietly closing the door behind her. "I am Dr. Gomez. How are you feeling this afternoon?"

She shrugged. "Honestly, a bit stressed. There's been a lot going on over the past few days."

Gomez's face turned sympathetic. "Well, too much stress is hard on the baby, so if you are forced into stressful situations, I would recommend taking some time out of your day for relaxation techniques. It would be good for both your health and the baby's." She smiled. "Well, are you ready for your first sonogram?"

Tori smiled. "Absolutely."

A few moments later, she was lying on the bed with a blob of cold gel on her abdomen. Her anxious eyes remained on the screen as the doctor searched for the child growing inside of her. Several long moments passed by before finally, for the very first time, she saw her child.

There was not much to see, but at that moment, she couldn't have loved the walnut-sized child she saw on the sonogram any more. Her smile widened into a grin, and at that moment, all of her problems faded away.

* * *

><p>She rushed home after her appointment. She nearly burst through the front door and quickly tossed her keys on the table. "Beck?" She started up the stairs. "Beck, babe, where are you?"<p>

Panic began to settle in when he didn't answer her. She made her way down the hallway. "Beck, are you okay? Where are…" she trailed off suddenly. She stopped just outside their bedroom.

Beck had moved from the bathroom to their bedroom. Their room was dark, the blinds closed, and he had buried himself deep beneath the sheets.

Smiling softly at the sight, Tori made her way to the bed and took a seat beside him. She leaned down and gently planted a kiss on his cheek. "I love you," she whispered. She gently pushed back a lock of dark hair from his eyes. "I love you so much."

The room was quiet. The only other sound was the soft _tick, tick, tick, tick_ of the clock on the wall. She had to admit that the silence was quite peaceful.

She sighed and carefully placed the sonogram photo on the bedside table. She quickly changed into her pajamas before crawling under the sheets. She lay on her side, her back to her husband, and closed her eyes, willing sleep to find her.

Suddenly, Beck began to stir. A moment later, his strong arm wrapped around her gently and pulled her close. Tori shivered with pleasure as the familiar feeling of comfort overcame her. She turned over in his arms so she was facing him.

"Hey," he said. "I didn't hear you come in."

She smiled. "I yelled for you," she said. "You scared me, actually, when you didn't answer. I'm glad you're getting some sleep, though. Are you feeling any better?"

Beck nodded. "Much better," he answered. A slow smile crept across his face. "I hate to admit it, but I think eating something helped a bit."

Tori laughed. "See? I told you it would work."

He rolled his eyes. "I know." He kissed her gently. "Thanks for everything this afternoon. I don't think I could have gotten through it by myself."

"It was nothing. You know that. I'd do anything for you," she replied. She laced her fingers through his. "I hate seeing you in so much pain. It just kills me inside. It's horrible."

He grunted as he shifted positions in the bed. "It looks worse than it really is," he assured her.

She smirked. "I'm sure you're lying, but it's late, and I'm tired, so I'll let your comment slide for now." She kissed him gently. "Oh! I almost forgot. I have something to show you." She sat up in bed and reached over to turn on the bedside lamp. She picked up the sonogram and handed it to her husband. "Everything went well at the doctor. Here's the first photo of our child."

He took the small, flimsy photo from her hand and studied it carefully. Beside him, Tori watched as his eyes lit up and a huge, genuine smile crossed his face. "I can't believe it," he whispered. He reached up and gently ran his fingertips over the image. "You know, it almost didn't seem real – this pregnancy and all – but now…oh, my God, he's perfect."

Tori smiled. "_He_?" she repeated. "You think it's a boy?"

Beck chuckled. "It's just a guess." He set the photo down and took her in his arms again. "But then again, it's a fifty-fifty chance of getting it right. But…when I see our child, I see a boy." He kissed her gently. "What do you see?"

She sighed and closed her eyes. For a moment, she took in the silence. It was peaceful, and she found quite easy to imagine their future child. "I see…I see a baby wrapped in blue. He's laughing, and – and he has your smile. It's so beautiful, so perfect." She sighed. "He's perfect." She rested her hand on her belly. "I can't wait to meet him."

Beck smiled. He kissed her gently on the lips, then planted a soft kiss on her belly. "Soon," he whispered. "Soon, we'll meet him – or her - and he – or she – will be forever ours."


	6. Chapter 6

"Hey there, Tori. How are you feeling?"

Horrible. Exhausted. Disgusting. Pregnant.

"I'm good," she sighed, running a hand through her unruly hair. She turned, meeting her friend's smile and those violet eyes. "I'm so glad that you're here, Cat."

The red haired gal returned her gaze and then did something unexpected. She hugged her. "Come on, let's get you to the doctor."

She was now four months along and the baby was growing steadily. Due to Beck's condition getting better and him being able to go back to work, her stress level was reduced slightly and she was able to take better care of herself. It also helped that she had her doctor yelling at her every time that she went in for a check-up.

Cat had discovered what was happening when Trina had called her. The only other person that knew about Beck's illness was her sister, and that was only because Tori had collapsed in tears mere hours after discovering it herself. Trina had called Cat, the only other person who meant the world to both Beck and Tori, and within two days, their friend was there.

Tori was so grateful for Cat's presence. In the time that they had been apart, she had been married to their other friend, Robbie Shapiro, and divorced, but they were still good friends due to the five year old son that they had together.

The young woman's simple joy and understanding was a calming force for the both of them, and with her love and support, Tori didn't feel so alone.

/

"Is Beck meeting us there?"

"Hmm?" Tori looked up from her phone, quickly slapping it shut from the internet search that she had been doing.

"Is Beck going to be there?" Cat asked again as she turned the car onto the freeway.

"Yeah, he just texted and said that he would be there in twenty minutes. Today, we are going to find out the sex of the baby," Tori said carefully, flipping her phone open again.

"Oh, really?" Cat's smile lit up her lovely features. "That's wonderful!"

"It will give us a heads up on how to decorate the nursery, anyway," Tori mumbled, typing in a word into the Google box.

The two women drove in silence for what seemed like forever, although it was only about twenty minutes. Cat brought the car off of the highway and through an exit that led to the hospital. "Okay, we're here. Tori? Tori!"

"What?!" She slapped her phone shut once again, startled out of her wits.

"We're here," Cat said again. She saw Tori quickly stuff her phone into her bag and her eyebrows raised. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," Tori sighed. "Come on, let's go."

And with that, she unlocked the car door and got out, slamming it behind her.

/

Beck was sitting in the waiting room, an old Reader's Digest magazine in front of him when the two women arrived. A smile lit up his handsome features when he saw her and he got up, tossing the magazine back onto the coffee table.

"Hey, babe," he smiled, gently pressing a kiss to her temple. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better. No more morning sickness," Tori returned the smile. "Are you ready for this?"

"More than anything," he said, the smile still on his lips.

Tori went over to the desk and signed in, letting the doctor know that she was there. She could hear Beck and Cat keep up the idle chit-chat behind her as she conversed with the receptionist, catching bits of their conversation.

"Okay, Dr. Gomez is finishing up with another patient and said that it will probably be about ten minutes," Tori said as she re-approached her husband and best friend.

Cat took a step and wrapped her arms around her friend in a quick hug. "I am going to take off. I have to go and pick Robbie, Jr. up from kindergarten. But call me and let me know, will you?"

"Of course," Tori responded. "Thank you so much for bringing me."

"Absolutely." Cat then turned to Beck and they shared a brief hug and a quick peck on the lips. With that, she was gone.

"Tori Oliver?"

It was time.

/

Tori found herself on the table wearing a stupid hospital gown and big thick socks adorning her feet. She wanted to be barefoot but Beck had stuffed the socks onto her limbs when he saw her teeth chattering.

"At least don't get frostbite in this frosty room," he said.

"Oh, but they're ugly!" she cried, noticing the big white snowflakes that were knitted into the blue.

Beck shook his head and chuckled. "Deal with it. As soon as we're out of here, you can take them off. I'd hate to see your cute little toes fall off."

She groaned in annoyance, but it was soon replaced by a tiny smirk. "You can always get me to do what you want me to do."

"Hence the fact that we are married."

"Oh, shut up!"

They both laughed and Beck leaned over, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. "I love you, Mrs. Oliver."

"And I love you, Mr. Oliver."

The door suddenly opened and Dr. Gomez walked through. "Am I interrupting anything?"

"Of course not." Tori gently pushed Beck away, straightening up as best as she could. Both of them were hiding their giggles, to which Gomez immediately noticed.

"Yeah, I can see that," Gomez grinned. She looked over Tori's chart and let out a reassuring sigh. "All right, all of your vitals are great, but you are still a little underweight, Tori. You need to work on that."

"I'm trying," Tori sighed. "The stress-"

"Exactly," Gomez replied. "That is why you need to take care of yourself and eat plenty of healthy foods."

_Here we go, another scolding session. _

"And Tori, this is very important. You have to think about yourself."

"I'll make sure she does that, Doctor," Beck said from the head of the gurney, ignoring the dirty look that Tori shot his way.

"Good," Gomez said. "Are you ready to find out the sex?"

/

Again, the goop on her belly was cold and the wand even colder.

Gomez ran the wand over her slightly bigger belly, searching for the baby and finding it a little bit more easily than the last two times. "All right, there we go."

"Well?" Tori looked at the screen, love overwhelming her as she saw their child's tiny form.

"It's a boy."

/

"It's not often that I am right about anything."

Tori chuckled, glancing over at her husband. "But you were right about this," she smiled.

"We should start thinking about names. I mean, I know we still have five months to go, but those months are going to go by quickly."

Unease hit her and she swallowed. "Uh, not now, okay?"

"Everything okay?"

"Um, yeah. I'm fine. Just a little tired. It's been a long day."

Beck didn't push it further, but she could tell he didn't believe her.

/

She was alone in their bedroom, Beck having gone to a short rehearsal. She was so relieved that he was doing better, but something was telling her that this was the calm before the storm. Like the happiness wasn't going to last forever.

Her hand rested on her belly, and she could feel the butterflies fluttering around. Tears gathered behind her eyes and she laid her head back on the pillows.

A boy.

They were going to have a boy.

A beautiful baby boy.

But the fact remained that her husband was still going to die.

Tori then turned, pawing around on the nightstand for her phone. She picked it up and clicked it onto the internet, typing in a few search words and finding the page she had been on before.

As her eyes scanned the information, she let out a tiny sigh.

If she did this, Beck would never forgive her.

But he would be alive.

If she did this, she would never forgive herself.

The thought of never seeing Beck's beautiful eyes again, those damn eyes that were filled with so much magic and hope despite what he was going through, those eyes that she fell in love with when she was sixteen years old…it was heartbreaking.

/

The nurse blinked sleepily as her phone began to vibrate. She picked it up, glancing at the name on the ID.

"Tori?"

"Hi, Teesha."

"Tori, it's almost eleven o'clock. What's the matter?"

Tori pushed the phone closer to her ear, keeping her voice low. Beck had gotten home around thirty minutes ago and had collapsed right into bed. If she woke him up, her cover was blown.

"Nothing's the matter. Um, I was wondering when you are in tomorrow."

"Eight a.m. Tori, what is going on? Why are you whispering?"

"I'm in at seven. Listen, I was wondering if you could do some tests on a patient. Just a few blood tests and whatnot to make sure that everything is all right."

The elder woman ran a tired hand through her hair, trying to ignore her husband's grumbling from beside her. "Sure. Who's the patient?"

"Me."

/

That's it for now. Nice little cliffhanger, huh?


	7. Chapter 7

At last, here's the next chapter. I'm so sorry it took so long, but thank you all so much for your patience.

Enjoy!

* * *

><p>It was much too quiet. Tension lingered between Tori and the woman leaning over her. After what felt like a lifetime of silence, Tori cleared her throat. "Thanks for doing this on such short notice."<p>

Teesha scoffed but said nothing. Instead, she eased a rather large needle into Tori's arm. She turned away and dug through a nearby drawer, removing gauze and bandage wrap.

"You don't have to be a snob to me just because you disagree with my decision," Tori said. "It's none of your business, if you think about it."

"It became my business the moment you asked me to perform these tests on you," Teesha snapped. "Seriously, Tori, do you have any idea what this will mean for you? And for Beck. Can you imagine how he's going to react when he finds out what you're even considering?"

"We don't have any other options." Tori glared. "Trust me, I wouldn't be here otherwise. I just – I can't imagine raising a child on my own," she whispered. "And I know how much Beck wants to be a father, but without this transplant…he likely won't be able to have that experience anyway."

"But you're considering giving up your first child for this," Teesha said in desperation. "And I know how hard it was for you two to get pregnant in the first place," she added, and Tori lowered her eyes at that. "I just - I don't think you realize how serious of a decision this is. You're considering ending your child's life, Tori."

Tori sighed. "No good can come from this situation," she said quietly.

"I know." Teesha replaced the needle with the gauze and bandage. She capped the last of the test tubes and set them aside. She managed a weak smile. "I hate it for you – for both of you. I just hope you know now what you're getting into – and that you're really making the right decision."

Tori sighed again, resting her palm on her stomach. "Me, too."

* * *

><p>When Tori finally made it home that night, late, she was greeted by the smell of homemade cooking. Confused, she snuck a glance at the clock, knowing that it was well past the time Beck normally retired for the night.<p>

She slipped off her shoes and placed them by the front door. She walked into the kitchen. A smile played on her face as she stopped in the doorway and took in the scene before her.

Beck hovered over the stove, stirring something in a pan. To his right, sitting on the counter, was a silver cookie sheet with two crisp halves of cheesy garlic bread, fresh from the oven. An empty glass container of Prego pasta sauce was on the counter, and a large heap of noodles rested in a strainer in the sink.

She had to admit, it smelled wonderful.

She stepped further into the kitchen. At the sound of her bare feet against the tile floor, Beck turned. He smiled. "Great, you're home."

She nodded, looping an arm around his waist. "I am," she said. "It looks like you've been busy."

He shrugged. "It's nothing, really." He kissed her gently. "I just – with so much going on lately, I know it's been a while since you've had a home-cooked meal."

"So you made this." She sighed. "As amazing as this looks – and smells – you know you're supposed to be resting, babe."

He rolled his eyes. "Come on. Just this once, can't you let your husband…well, be a husband?" He gently tapped the spoon on the edge of the pan and set it on the counter. He reached over and removed the pan from the heat, then turned off the burner. He took Tori in his arms and smiled. "Let me spoil you, just this once."

She smiled. "All right." She lifted her head for another kiss before reluctantly breaking their embrace. She took a seat at the table, where there were two place settings and ice-cold glasses of water. "You've been busy," she noted. He only smiled in response.

He took the two plates from the table and walked over to the sink. "You were gone early this morning." He put a slice of garlic bread on each plate. He flooded spoonfuls of spaghetti with sauce first on her plate then his before returning to the table. "Busy day at work?"

She smiled faintly. "Something like that." She cleared her throat uncomfortably. "But let's not talk about that. How are you feeling?" She twirled spaghetti noodles around her fork and brought them to her mouth.

He shrugged. "Austin sent me home early today," he answered. "Said I 'looked like hell,' or something to that extent." He shook his head. "I don't look that bad, do I?"

Tori bit back a smile, not daring herself to speak.

Beck chuckled. "All right, all right. But you've got to admit I look better than before." He took a drink of his water.

"Definitely." She reached across the table and squeezed his hand comfortingly. "And sweetheart, we're going to get through this."

He sighed. "You don't know that," he whispered. He set down his cup. "I used to believe that same thing, but I just - I can feel what it's doing to my body. I spend half the day feeling nauseous and the other half exhausted. I'm just sick of being sick." He smiled and met her eyes. "But it would be so much worse to go through it alone."

She smiled back briefly. "It kills me that you're going through this," she said. She swallowed hard and her smile suddenly vanished. "I love you," she said. "I love you so much. You know that, right?"

"Of course," he whispered. He kissed her gently. "I love you, too." He caressed her cheek. "More than anything."

"No matter what?"

He pulled his hand away at her question, sensing something was not right. He leaned back in the chair. "Tori, what's going on?"

She sighed. "Nothing." She stood, taking her plate, still half-full of food, with her.

"You need to eat that." He sighed. "You're already underweight."

She shook her head. "I'm suddenly not very hungry," she murmured. She scraped the food into the trash can, washed off her plate, then put it in the dishwasher. "Thank you so much, though. It really was wonderful." She wiped her wet hands on her pant legs then started toward the door.

Beck reached out and caught her hand, stopping her. "Tori," he said, his voice low and firm. His grip on her hand tightened, and she dared to meet his eyes. "What's going on?"

Silence fell between them. Heavy, heavy silence. She held his gaze, long and hard, silently praying he would back down.

But he didn't.

At last, her gaze faltered. She sighed and sank into the seat beside him. She took his other hand and squeezed it gently. "All right," she whispered. "Let's talk."

* * *

><p>She spent the night at the hospital that night, settling down in the nurse's break room in one of the cushioned chairs. She didn't sleep much, but she cried. She cried plenty that night - tears of anger, tears of sorrow, tears of a helpless woman with absolutely nowhere else to go. And as she sat there that night, curled up in a chair in that dark room, she couldn't help but wonder where she had gone wrong, what she had done to cause what could only be described as this hell of a life.<p>

She reached up and wiped at her eyes, though her tears were immediately replaced by new ones. Her thoughts were a whirlwind in her mind. She inhaled deeply.

It was then that she felt it: a sudden cramp, low in her abdomen. She winced. But nearly as soon as it had appeared it disappeared, and she dismissed the matter as unimportaant. Instead she shifted in the chair, pulling her legs up close to her chest and closing her eyes, hoping that sleep would find her.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

><p>"Tori. Tori, wake up."<p>

She jolted awake at the sound of a woman's voice. She looked up and into Teesha's eyes.

Tori sat up slowly. She rubbed her eyes with clenched fists. "What time is it?"

Teesha rolled her eyes. "Two hours until your shift starts. All right, my turn. What are you doing here? Why aren't you at home?"

Tori sighed. "Beck and I had a fight." She stood, stretching her aching limbs. "Staying in the same room as him for the entire night was completely out of the question, so here I am."

"Here you are." Teesha folded her arms. Her eyes narrowed. "What was your argument about?"

Tori rolled her eyes. "What do you think?" She ran a hand wearily through her hair. "I had to tell him. I couldn't keep it a secret anymore. He knew something was up, and I had to tell him what I was considering." She sighed heavily. "He didn't take it well."

Teesha studied her coworker carefully. "Are you all right?"

"No." Tori sank back into the chair. "No. There was yelling - so much yelling. It ended when he said if - if he finds out I aborted the pregnancy, he'd file for a divorce."

Teesha's eyebrows shot up. "And?"

"And I told him that wouldn't be necessary, because..." she trailed off, her eyes dropping to the floor. She bit her trembling lip. She shook her head slowly, as if a new reality was finally setting in.

Teesha perched on the arm of the chair. "Because what?" she prodded, her voice soft.

"Because without it, I'll be widowed, anyway." Tori's tear-filled eyes met Teesha's. "Teesha, what am I going to do?" she whispered.

Teesha patted Tori's hand gently. She didn't smile and her eyes were full of sympathy as she answered, "I'm not sure."

* * *

><p>Just past the eight o'clock hour that evening, Tori took her break, marking the end of her first shift. Exhausted, she peeled off her gloves and tossed them in the trash. She ran a hand wearily through her hair as she made her way to the nurse's break room. She heavily sank into the first chair she could find.<p>

"Rough day, huh?" Gabby Mitchells, another nurse who Tori often worked with, smiled brightly as she strode into the room. She walked to the sink and turned on the faucet, testing the water gingerly with her finger before washing her hands.

"Yeah." Tori sighed. "I swear, being pregnant sure can slow a person down. I can barely make it through a single shift anymore." She leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes.

"Well, you're certainly under a lot of stress," Gabby pointed out. She reached for the paper towels. "Maybe you – "

"Ms. Oliver?"

She lifted her head to meet the front desk attendant's eyes. "Yes?"

"You've got a phone call."

"Please, just take a message," she murmured before her eyes slid closed again.

"Miss," the other woman said again, and something in her voice told Tori something was very wrong. Her heart sank as she heard the words, "It's about your husband."

* * *

><p>Minutes later, Tori was briskly walking down a long hallway in the ICU, scanning each room number. "109," she muttered under her breath. "109…109..." She stopped halfway down a second hallway. She reached out for the door, but a voice stopped her still.<p>

"You don't want to go in there."

Tori sighed and turned. "He's my husband, Teesha," she said. Her voice broke. "I've got to see him."

"Not alone."

Tori's hand was resting on the door handle now. She stared down at it, considering the situation, the dread and the worry and the sickening realization of reality growing by the second.

Teesha sighed and stepped closer to her friend. "Honey, you're not – you're not going to like what you find in there," she said gently. "You and I both know that. Please, don't go in there alone."

Tori's grip on the door handle tightened. She sighed heavily and finally whispered, "All right."

* * *

><p>She broke down as soon as she saw him.<p>

She tried to blame the hormones – pregnancy could be hell on a woman's hormones – but even she couldn't convince herself of the lie. She didn't have to look twice to know that her husband was near his end.

She heavily sank into the seat beside her husband's bed. She reached out for his hand as tears flowed down her cheeks. She swallowed hard. "Oh, my goodness," she breathed. She was only barely aware of the hand resting on her shoulder.

Her hand trembled as she reached out to caress his cheek. His skin was cold and clammy. Her eyes slid closed, and a new set of tears fell from them. "What happened?" she whispered.

"Internal bleeding. He admitted himself earlier this afternoon after he began vomiting up blood."

Tori glared. "And no one told me?"

"He made it very clear that he wanted you kept out of this," Teesha said defensively. "He made me promise, even. But things went downhill fast, and he – he nearly..." she trailed off with a sorrowful sigh. "Tori, I am - I am so, so sorry."

Tori shook her head in disbelief. "No," she whispered. "No, this isn't happening." New tears fell from the grieving wife's eyes. Wordlessly she stood, releasing Beck's hand. She blindly brushed past Teesha and strode toward the door.

"Tori, where are you going?"

But Tori was already gone.

* * *

><p>She couldn't sleep that night. Instead, she stayed up late, clutching Beck's hand between her own. She watched as his chest rose and fell with each breath. The sound of his raspy breathing and the machines beside his bed provided the only noise in the room.<p>

She reached out and gently caressed his cheek again, brushing a damp strand of hair from his eyes. He had developed a fever within the past few hours, and his once-cold skin was now hot to the touch. Doctors told her it was likely from an infection that would soon go away with the antibiotics they had given him, but in her heart, Tori feared it was much worse. He had yet to regain consciousness since the surgery - a fact that terrified her. She could only pray that anesthetics were to blame and nothing more.

She sighed heavily and reached for her purse, which was on the floor beside the chair. She rummaged through it and removed a folded piece of paper.

She hadn't been able to bring herself to look at the results of the tests that had been run earlier that evening. She had managed to remove the form from its envelope – that had been easy. But what that paper bore could potentially change life as she now knew it.

Taking a deep breath, she unfolded the paper and forced herself to scan over it. At last, her eyes fell on the chart printed at the bottom.

She released a half-sob as a great mixture of emotions came over her. Slowly, she brought her hand to cover her mouth as tears again began to fall from her eyes. She read and re-read the results at least twice more.

She was a perfect match.


End file.
